Friends, relatives get together for ‘Kharna’

CHANDIGARH: On the second day of Chhath Puja celebrations, many people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh organized the ritual of "Kharna" at their homes on Sunday. As friends and relatives got together for festivities, they savoured "kheer" and "puri", which form the main menu of "Kharna".

There was a flurry of excitement at the house of principal secretary to the UT administrator M P Singh. His near and dear ones poured in at his place to mark the ritual. Amid prayers, women broke their fast with "kheer" and "puri". After the sweet feast, fast will be observed on the next two days. His wife Kiran Singh said, "Monday will be a hectic day. We will not only fast, but also supervise the kitchen work as a variety of sweets will be prepared for 'prasad'. And, we will not even drink water during the 'vrat' period."

Though no one fasts at the house of Haryana-cadre IAS officer Pankaj Yadav, who is the state project director of Prathmik Shiksha Pariyojna, all the puja rituals are observed religiously. "We go to friends and relatives' house for 'Kharna'. And we visit the lake on the third and the fourth day. At present, no one is fasting at my place. Earlier, my mother used to fast, but now it's a bit difficult for her due to her old age," Yadav said.

As chief conservator of forests-cum-chief wildlife warden Santosh Kumar couldn't go home for puja this time, he has planned a grand celebration here. "Celebrations will be big on Monday," he said.

Now, preparations are in full swing for the third day of Chhath Puja when everyone visits Sector 42 lake to give offerings to the setting sun. The devotees will again visit the lake on Tuesday morning to give offerings to the rising sun. The offerings include 51 items, including fruits and vegetables, among others. Sugarcane is an important part of the festival. A special "prasad" — "thekva", made of wheat, sugar and ghee — is prepared for the festival.

People will start gathering at Sector 42 lake around 3pm on Monday.

'Not just elders, even kids observe rituals'

For UT finance secretary V K Singh's family, Chhath is an occasion to unite and celebrate it every year at their hometown Muzzafarpur. Singh's wife Pallavi said everyone in the family ensures to be present for the Chhath celebrations, irrespective of their busy schedules. "My sister-in-law and I observe the fast and the family helps us throughout in performing all the rituals day by day," she said. On Saturday, the Singhs observed "Kharna" to begin the Chhath rituals.

"After sunset, we gather to sing traditional songs as per the rituals and then break the fast with "kheer-puri", which is offered to the goddess, Chhath mata, first," she added. Not just the elders, but even children in the Singh family follow the rituals of Chhath Puja appropriately. "This puja is considered very auspicious by us. We have grown up watching our parents follow the rituals religiously with a lot of devotion and have inculcated the same," said Singh's daughter Mugdha.

'It is spiritual and scientific'

"The auspicious festival is a mixture of spirituality, religion and science. Religiously, our scriptures say that all energies originate from the Sun, and this has been proved by science as well," said deputy inspector general Alok Kumar, as he recollected celebrating Chhath Puja with his family at their native house in Bihar. He added, "Even yogis used to meditate with an image of the Sun in their mind, trying to absorb its energies." Kumar said Chhath Puja is an important event for his family and they celebrate it with fervour. He wished the city residents on this occasion.

'chance to spend quality time'

During Chhath Puja, there is always a rush at the residence of additional chief secretary, Haryana, Krishna Mohan, with relatives and friends visiting them round the clock. "All our relatives get together every year on Chhath to celebrate the most auspicious festival. It is a chance for us to spend quality time with each other once a year," said Mohan, who visits the Sector 42 lake with his wife and children on the third day of the festival. The cultural events organized at the lake are yet another attraction for Mohan. "The lake has a wonderful aura during the sunset ritual, with mantras echoing and traditional folk songs playing in the background. We like to sit beside the lake in the evening and go back there the next morning to pray to the rising sun," he added. Though not many women from his family observe the fast, the rituals of the puja are followed appropriately on all the four days.